A scanning probe microscope has a tilting stage on which a sample is mounted. The sample is scanned back and forth with the stage being tilted clockwise during a forward scan and counterclockwise during a reverse scan. A first surface contour of the sample is determined from the response of the probe and the tilt angle of the stage during the forward scan. A second surface contour of the sample is determined from the response of the probe and the tilt angle of the stage during the reverse scan. A final surface contour of the sample is obtained by combining the first and second surface contours.